


7223 Miles

by potatosackcrew



Series: Don't You Worry, Child [4]
Category: Alex Rider - Anthony Horowitz, Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Gen, I actually wrote something happy??, No Angst, Shenanigans, no seriously I can't think of tags bc I'm not used to this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:00:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28636662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/potatosackcrew/pseuds/potatosackcrew
Summary: Alex never asked for anything, so how could Steve say no?OR Tom comes to visit, and Steve gets a glimpse of how it was before it all came crashing down.
Relationships: Alex Rider & Steve McGarrett, Alex Rider & Tom Harris
Series: Don't You Worry, Child [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2082795
Comments: 6
Kudos: 69





	7223 Miles

**Author's Note:**

> For @just-add-butter who demanded some Tom content (well, okay, I was already planning on it anyway, BUT…lol).
> 
> ~Partly inspired by That Chapter of Nightshade, in which AH showed us just how down Tom is for general mayhem and shenanigans.~

Alex never asked for anything.

In the beginning it was all Steve could do to get the kid to say when he needed something because he would never admit to it. Even when prompted, Alex hmm’d and haw’d around it and when he would finally relent, he always somehow seemed ashamed. It had irked Steve to no end, but then Lou had pointed out that, between the time spent with agencies and the couple months in foster care, Alex probably wasn’t used to having his needs actually met. Steve’s irritation had instantly evaporated, and from that day on, he would casually ask every now and again if Alex needed anything in the hopes that he’d eventually understand that he was allowed to ask for things and that Steve was happy to provide them.

So when one day in early June Alex asked for something he  _ wanted,  _ how could Steve say no?

Alex had mumbled and stuttered and stumbled over himself as he’d asked, but somehow Steve had gotten the gist of the request: he was wondering if his best friend could come out and stay with them in August. For a week, maybe ten days,  _ if that was okay, and it was totally fine if it wasn’t. _

Steve had pulled him into a hug and assured him that was fine, that Tom was more than welcome. Secretly, he’d been elated and excited.

That had been almost two months ago, and now it was August third and they were waiting in the arrivals area of Honolulu International Airport, Alex bouncing on the balls of his feet in anticipation.

“What’s taking so long?”

Steve grinned. “Relax. The flight just got in and he’ll have to get through customs.”

“I know. It’s just… I haven’t seen him in a year, you know?”

Steve briefly wondered what it would be like to not see Danny for a year but quickly shook the thought away. As much as they picked at each other, he had to admit (only ever to himself) that maybe he would miss his partner.

A split-second warning was all he got; Alex’s face lit up and then he was gone, weaving his way through the crowd. In between the people coming and going, Steve caught a glimpse of the reunion -- a long hug and excited chatter -- before Alex was leading the way back over to where he was still standing.

“Aloha,” Steve greeted as the pair came to a stop in front of him. “Tom, it’s a pleasure. I’ve heard a lot about you -- especially recently.”

“Same,” Tom replied. “Thanks for having me.”

“Of course -- anytime. Let’s get out of here and grab some lunch, yeah? How do you feel about shrimp, Tom?”

“Uhm, yeah, I like shrimp.”

“Alright, then what are we waiting for?”

By the time they had finished eating, Alex almost seemed like an entirely different person to Steve. It was clear that Tom’s presence had brought out an entirely different side of Alex, one that had been buried under years of trauma. Maybe, Steve thought, this would be exactly what Alex needed to get back on track.

The first seven days flew by; even when Steve was home, he barely saw the two boys. The duo spent most of every day surfing or hiking with the occasional museum thrown in -- Chin had even taken them out spearfishing on one quiet morning. He didn’t mind, though; Alex was finally getting out of the house, and Steve wasn’t sure he’d ever seen the kid smile so much or so brightly.

Day eight brought nearly torrential rains, cancelling the pair’s plans. Steve -- go figure -- still had to work, leaving them alone at the house for the day. When he got home that evening, he was greeted by two way too innocent faces, both boys claiming they’d had a ‘nice’ and ‘relaxing’ day.

Apparently for teenage boys that meant booby-trapping the entire house.

Had it been anyone else, Steve might have been irritated. But this was Alex and Alex’s best friend, and the kid was so darn  _ happy _ that Steve couldn’t help being happy too, even as he slipped around on the flour strew across the kitchen tile. Instead of ordering them to clean it up (as he once might have done), he scooped up a handful from the floor and chucked it (as well as one  _ can _ chuck flour) back at the boys laughing hysterically from the doorway. The betrayed look Alex sent his way had him in stitches of his own.

“Oh, it is  _ on.” _

Dinner was late that night and they all ate it with flour still stuck in their hair, but Steve wouldn’t have traded that night for anything in the world.

(No, he wouldn’t trade it for anything, even if he  _ was  _ still finding the last of their pranks three days after Tom left to go home.)

Day nine brought back the sun, drying everything out, and that evening Steve lit a fire in the pit.

“Ready to go home tomorrow?” Steve asked casually; Alex was inside digging up ingredients for s’mores, making this the first conversation Steve had had alone with Tom.

“Not really,” Tom sighed. “I’m honestly a little jealous Alex gets to live here.”

Steve smiled, nodding. He couldn’t blame the kid for not wanting to leave -- for multiple reasons. Alex had told him about the messy divorce Tom’s parents were going through -- it was part of the reason Alex had summoned up the courage to ask, to give his friend a break from everything happening at home. The divorce alone would have been hard enough, but having to go through it with your best friend on the other side of the world certainly wouldn’t be helping matters any.

“Thanks by the way.” Tom spoke just loud enough to be heard above the crackling fire. “And I don’t mean for having me -- though definitely for that, too. Being out here seems to be doing him good. He’s almost seemed like his old self, back before -- well, you know.”

Steve sighed. “I hate to say it, but I think that has more to do with  _ you  _ being here than anything. This is the happiest and most active I’ve seen him.”

Tom shrugged. “Maybe, but… I think you give me too much credit and yourself not enough. The first time we talked on the phone, he barely said anything. But now -- I mean, he’s still quiet but it actually feels like a conversation, you know? It’s progress, even if it’s small. Out here at least he has a fighting chance at normal. He’s away from  _ them _ and with someone who will keep _ them _ away. If he came back to England -- even if  _ they _ left him alone, which they probably wouldn’t -- there’s no way anything could ever be normal -- too many bad memories.”

“I’m not sure it ever can be anyway.”

“No,” Tom huffed, “I guess not. Too much has happened. But you know what I mean. I’m glad he has you looking out for him. Maybe things can’t go back, but I still think this is the best shot he’s got.”

Steve sighed. “I don’t know about that. I can’t even convince him to go back to school. I'm trying not to be pushy about it, to let him decide when he’s ready, but…”

“We haven’t talked much about school.” Tom frowned. “He didn’t tell me he wasn’t back in yet.”

“We’ve been taking things slow, but I think -- and I’d say this week  _ proves _ \-- that him getting out and being around people his own age would really do him some good.”

“I’ll talk to him.” Tom shrugged casually.

“You don’t need to --.”

“Hey, Alex,” Tom interrupted as the other boy came towards them. “Get your sorry self back to school, mate.”

Alex stopped between them, leveling a look of disbelief at Steve. “What did you say?”

Steve held up his hands in defense as Tom spoke. “Told me enough, mate. C’mon. Gotta get back up sometime.”

Crossing to the opposite side of the fire pit and depositing the supplies for s’mores on the table, Alex sighed. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

“You’ve known me how long and you still have to ask? Seriously, though, Alex. You can’t just hide from the world forever.”

Alex tipped his head back in frustration and resignation. “You’re starting to sound an awful lot like someone  _ else _ I know.”

“Then you know it’s good advice.”

“Ugh, fine,” he relented with a groan, aggressively spearing two marshmallows onto a roasting stick. “But if it ends up being a disaster, don’t blame me.”

Steve could only stare at Tom’s smug smile, momentarily dumbfounded. “Should’ve had you come visit sooner apparently.”

“What can I say? I’m very persuasive.”

“I was going to go with ‘annoying’ and ‘persistent’,” Alex muttered.

“That’s why you love me.”

Alex snorted. “Sure. We’ll go with that.”

The trio stayed up perhaps far later than they should have considering Tom’s early flight the next morning, but Steve figured they deserved one last night to spend as much time together as possible. But morning came all too soon anyway, Steve finding the two boys passed out in a heap on the couch, having apparently never actually gone to bed after he’d left them around eleven. Before they knew it, they were back at the airport saying their goodbyes.

As Steve hugged Tom, he said, “You’re always welcome here -- I mean that. Come back anytime you want.”

Tom pulled away with a smirk. “You know I’m going to take you up on that, right?”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

Alex and Tom shared a wordless embrace and then, with only a smile and a nod, Tom turned for his gate.

“What, no words of farewell?”

“Nah.” Alex shrugged. “It’s not like I’ll never see him again, so ‘goodbye’ just…feels too final, but I can’t say ‘see you later’ either because it could be awhile.”

“Then how about,  _ a hui hou?” _ Steve asked. “‘Until we meet again’.”

Alex smiled, small but genuine. “Yeah. I like that.  _ A hui hou.” _

**Author's Note:**

> 7223 miles is the distance between London and Honolulu. This ended up much differently than I had intended, so that little tidbit didn't make it into the story itself, and I was too lazy to figure out another title. :P The missing line came from a much angstier idea, and this turned into entirely fluff, but I also I have no regrets on that.
> 
> (And obviously his asking for help in the previous fic is the exception to his not asking for things, haha. He's getting there. He's gonna make it. ...oh no, I just turned this angsty...)


End file.
